Olaf
he/him
5.0
(31)
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About Olaf
Role Playing Games were my sanity's refuge when my undiagnosed neurodiversity turned my academic endeavors into a living hell. The stories we weaved, and the love of the friends we wove them with, kept everyone going, and with each other, we were no longer alone. As time would have it, and in spite of our academic or social struggles, we ended up being an exceptional group professionals in our chosen fields, and as we sought to make our childrens' journey easier, most of my friends discovered their own neurodiversity. I want the opportunity to help your characters live epic stories and perhaps, if we are lucky, to turn strangers into lifelong friends. I belong to the Jim Butcher and WX (Sanderson-Kowal-Tayler-Wells) schools of storytelling, Gygax's philosophy of multi-party sandbox campaigning, and have several "podiums" in national (Venezuela) and regional (Caracas) tournaments under my belt (Stopped counting after five). Me? I'm a mixed Norseman-Latino, neurodivergent, liberal, geek, TTRPG and biology nerd. My mum got the "love all, respect all" of her beloved sixties in my heart at an early age, so expect zero judgment, and the (sometimes overbearing) care and kindness I try to offer to the people in my life. As well as some of my anarchist dad's, stonefaced humor (he was a riot, but his humor was black-hole-grade). I'm as old as, and hold the motto of, the Hard Rock Café 🎸: 💖 ♻ ⌛ ☸ ∞"Love All-Serve All, All Is One, Save The Planet, and Take Time To Be Kind." 💖 ♻ ⌛ ☸ ∞ Ready to play campaigns: DnD 5e: Phandelver and below + Essentials (bundled up or separate) Helianna's Monster Hunts. Isekai on the Yokai Realms Curse of Strahd PF2e: All of Otari: Beginners box, Troubles under Otari and abomination vaults, (either as stand-alones or bundled up) Kingmaker AP Outlaws of Alkenstar AP (How it's played style remix) Age of Ashes AP (Tabletop Travel Guide style remix) Young Guns of the Wastes✳ Playable within a month: 5e: Rockin' realms! (Brutal legend meets D&D)✳ Children of the mere (Plenty to do in the mere of dead men)✳ Waterdeep Barkeepers✳ Thunder Rift (TSR adventure setting for AD&D 2e, can covert to 5e) Return to the temple of Elemental Evil (3.5e, can convert to 5e) City of the Spider Queen (3.5e, can convert to 5e) PF2e: Blood Lords AP (Alexandrian style remix) Blood of Isger (The Poppet Crusade)✳ VtM (3e): Montreal by nights (Setting by Black Dog Pub.)✳ Caracas by nights ✳ ✳ Original adventure Secret ability: I can run hybrid Spanish/English campaigns if you want to practice your Spanish or English También se narra con ñ: se dirige en castellano (o en español si eres latinoamericano)
At a glance
3 years on StartPlaying
203 games hosted
Highly rated for: Teacher, Creativity, Storytelling
Featured Prompts
I got started GMing...
Because I loved creating adventures and worlds for my friends!
My favorite books are
So many authors! In no particular order: The 5 cores of Tolkien. Cheap shot, I know (12, I know) Dresden chronicles*-Butcher Mistborn*-Sanderson DCC*-Dinniman Old man's war*-Scalzi Iron druid*-Hearny Kingkiller Chronicle*-Rothfuss A song of ice and fire*-Martin Starship Troopers - Heinlein *=saga
When I'm not running games I'm...
Household stuff: running between cooking, laundry, cleaning (badly), leaving or picking up my kid at school, taking her to extracurriculars, play dates, etc. WHILE listening to audiobooks, TTRPG space YT videos, and coming up with adventure/world concepts 4 games so have quality time with my family!
How Olaf runs games
Vibe Check YT short intro: https://youtube.com/shorts/PJNfT7k0i3g Game Mastering Philosophy: I run chill, forgiving games, where fair rulings trump raw rules, that give my players a chance to relax and focus on the game, not the system or its intricacies. My worlds deliver a mix of familiar and unexpected views and emotional responses, to offer you a sense of wonder when discovering (or surviving) "new life and new civilizations...", of satisfaction when prevailing thru wits and charm or magic and steel against challenging opponents and dire situations. I like to mix regular language, hyperbole and humor, when describing the world, it's inhabitants, their actions, motives and flaws. I just arbitrate the PCs (Player Characters) actions that have a chance of failure, allowing my players' choices to matter in a living world that reacts to their actions. Should they fall I give them the chance to rise again by proxy or magic to keep the good fight. And I always try to understand "What is FUN to you?" and "How can I make this better for everybody at the table?" Expect: Willingness to match the game to the party's and players' wants/needs. Character development, multiple plots, character-driven plots. World-building: Your characters will dwell in a living world, where many groups or adventurers will handle many simultaneous crises (though they may only find out about them later). Good narrative skills, and I'll weave an immersion level according to what the party enjoys. I'm goofy at voice acting, but will never stop trying to give each NPC a unique personality and expression. Tactical challenge according to party desires/experience. The fact that there are enough self-righteous, self-appointed, moral & morality judges, and gatekeepers to make it necessary for me to say: "This is a safe space for LGBTQI+, BIPOC, women, and neurodivergents" in this day and age, just makes me terribly sad. Players new to TTRPGs are welcome at my tables, I'll take a full party of starry-eyed, full-of-questions players any day of the week. The world will be what we make of it, so when I ask you to put a couple of bad ideas on your stars and wishes at the end of a session, don't be surprised to find a combo of bad idea-wishes from around the table in front of you as an ally or adversarial NPC, a horrifically funny, or ludicrous horrific monster. REMEMBER: I'm not native to the US, so expect me to make cultural gaffes, I urge you to just have fun with them! Then have fun with my blushing and stammering when you tell me the nature of the gaffe.
Featured Prompts
I once ran a session...
For more than twelve straight hours... after DMing three four hour tournament games in three days, just for funsies. Did I mention how much I love the old 2e VtM and WoD?
My games focus on...
Chill and fun to make the dramatic and epic moments truly memorable.
Rules are...
Guidelines that can't cover every situation, therefore rulings should be tempered with common sense (ideally with a consensus that it's actually fair)
Olaf's ideal table
At my table everybody comes to have fun by way of: •Being honest in what we mean, and trustful regarding what other people say they are meaning (neurodiversity awkwardness happens, but is no excuse not to listen to honest clarifications in meaning) •Chiming in to help each other and respecting their moment in the spotlight. •Laughing, especially at ourselves when the dice don't fall our way.
Featured Prompts
I love it when a player
Changes their description of what they're doing to make us laugh after a crit fail. Make the choice to help another party member shine. Pitches ideas after a session to help make the game more enjoyable.
I think min/maxing...
Is an important mental exercise that comes with its own rewards. However, be mindful that I will compensate non-optimal builds when they present interesting and cohesive characters.
My table is not the place for...
RaW rules' lawyering, remembering every name of every feat and rule of the game. Edge lording over other players, using your character as a shield for being rude to the players. Proving that you are the sharpest tool in the shed, hence you are the leader while disregarding your character limitations
Olaf's Preferences
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